Sheroe Executive Profile

Vanessa Williams
Actress, Singer, model

Born in New York City March 18, 1963, Vanessa Lynn Williams rose to national prominence by becoming the first African American to win the Miss America Pageant.  Later she used the same poise and musical talent that earned her that title to establish herself as one of the most versatile entertainers of her generation, attaining great success as both an actress and a recording artist.  Vanessa's parents, who taught music in public schools, subjected Vanessa to a grueling schedule of music and other performing arts studies for many years.  In 1981, she enrolled in Syracuse University, where she majored in musical theater.

In the spring of 1983 the executive director of the Miss America Greater Syracuse Pageant, asked Vanessa to enter the contest.  Previously had regarded beauty pageants as "exploitative meat show."  However, she agreed to enter, partly because most of the contest centered on a talent competition that she felt the exposure would benefit her.  And, if she won the top Miss America prize, she would earn large personal appearance fees.  In April 1983, Vanessa Williams won the Miss America Greater Syracuse Pageant and soon thereafter won the Miss New York State Pageant. In September 1983, she strongly impressed the judges with her combination of beauty, intelligence and singing talent to win the title of Miss America.

Vanessa held the Miss America crown for only 10 months. In July 1984 it was discovered that in the summer of 1982, while employed as a receptionist at the TEC Model Registry in Mount Kisco, NY, she had posed for a series of sexually explicit photographs with another woman.  July 23, 1984, under pressure from pageant officials, she stepped down, the first Miss America to abdicate in the history of the pageant.

After giving up her crown, Vanessa Williams immediately plunged into her career as a professional entertainer.  In 1987 she married Ramon Hervey II, a public relations specialist who became her manager.  They had three children before divorcing in 1997.

Hervey helped guide Vanessa into a recording career, signing her with Wing Records. In 1988 she released her debut album, The Right Stuff, which contained several hits including, "Dreamin'."  Among her later releases were albums The Comfort Zone (1991) and The Sweetest Days (1994).  While pursuing her singing career, Vanessa Williams also built an equally illustrious reputation as an actress. She had many roles in several made-for-television movies including the mini series The Jackson: An American Dream, in which she played the president of Motown Production in a story about the Jackson 5. In 1992 she had a recurring role as the aerobics instructor in the popular series, Melrose Place.

In 1987, Vanessa made her motion picture debut in The Pick Up Artist and appeared in several other films in the late 1980s and into the 1990s.  Her film work exemplifies her wide-range acting capabilities.  She successfully played in the thriller Drop Squad (1994), the comedy Mother (1996), the action picture Eraser (1996) and the drama Soul Food (1997), a story about an embattled Chicago family. In the summer of 1994 she made a striking impression in the title role in the Broadway musical, Kiss Of The Spider Woman. Later that year she performed on the New York City stage in Gypsy Of The Year.

Her versatile singing and acting achievements have made Vanessa L. Williams one of the most popular entertainers of her time. In 1996 Syracuse University, from which she dropped out to pursue her spectacular career, presented Vanessa with the George Arents Pioneer medal, the university's highest alumni award.